1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-directional switch used in a vehicle power mirror device, and more specifically, means for giving a required feeling of operation to an operation of an operating shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
As means for giving a feeling of operation such as a click to an operating portion of a multi-directional switch, means which allows a movable contact of a dome shape, formed of a metal plate, to be elastically deformed in an operating portion and transfers to the operating portion a feeling when the movable contact is elastically deformed (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-170461 (FIGS. 1 and 2)), means which allows a movable contact provided in a central protruding portion of a rubber seat, instead of the above-mentioned movable contact, to be elastically deformed in the operating portion and transfers to the operating portion a feeling when the central protruding portion is elastically deformed, and the like, are conventionally known.
Among the above-mentioned means, for the means which allows the movable contact of the dome shape, formed of the metal plate, to be elastically deformed in the operating portion and which allows a movable contact of a seesaw shape to abut to the operating portion, a required number of the movable contacts must be set to one per a predetermined setting point. As a result, there are problems in that many processes are required in assembling a switch and a high-priced switch is produced.
On the other hand, for the means which allows the central protruding portion formed in the rubber seat to be elastically deformed in the operating portion, only by assembling the rubber seat, in which a required number of the central protruding portions are integrally formed in a predetermined arrangement, in a predetermined position, a setting of all of feeling giving means (the central protruding portions) can be completed in one operation. As a result, it is possible to efficiently assemble the switch and to provide a low-priced switch product.
However, since the rubber seat is fabricated by a molding using a relatively large metal mold, in the case of adjusting the feeling of the click, the metal mold cannot be repaired for the plurality of the central protruding portions, and repairing the metal mold is costly. As a result, it is impossible to sufficiently lower the fabrication cost of the switch.